Copyright Challenges In The Age Of AI- Generated Content: Implications For Library Collections
Aqsa Kalam, B.A. LL.B., Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Zikra Akbar, B.A.LL.B., Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how content is created, stored, and accessed, and academic law libraries in India are feeling the impact. As AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini produce legal texts, case summaries, and research materials with minimal human input, serious questions arise about who owns such content and how libraries should handle it. The Copyright Act, 1957 recognizes only human authors, leaving AI generated works in a legal grey area. International frameworks including the Berne Convention and the TRIPS Agreement follow the same human centric philosophy, offering no clear guidance on ownership or protection of AI generated works.
This paper explores what this legal uncertainty means for law libraries in practice. When there is no recognized rights holder, how do libraries acquire, license, catalogue, and preserve AI generated content responsibly? The paper also addresses the growing problem of AI hallucination, where AI systems generate fictitious case citations and fabricated legal precedents that have already appeared before Indian courts including the Bombay and Delhi High Courts. Beyond authenticity, the paper raises concerns about unequal access, as sophisticated AI legal research tools remain concentrated among well- funded National Law Universities, leaving smaller institutions and their users at a significant disadvantage.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Copyright Law, Law Libraries, AI Generated Content, Indian Copyright Act 1957, Legal Misinformation, Library Collections.
